A Fairly Normal Choosing
by Neverfall
Summary: What to do when you're landed with a troublesome Chosen with a mysterious past? Why, you blame the Groveborn, of course! Er...I mean...the daisies! Yeah, the daisies. Stop glaring at me like that, Rolan! Rated for minor violence. Rating subject to change.
1. Calling

Ok, I would like reviews please, as-NO! YUKI! I'M NOT EDIBLE! Cari, make her stop!-Yuki's getting violent tendencies towards me...Oh, a quick heads-up, I'm almost done with the first chapter of another fic called Festival Day, which begins during the Midwinter after Yuki chooses Cari, so the characters in that story will also be in here.

_-----_

_-Oh, YU-ki! –_

Great. _–Yes, Zafia?-_ I inquire, turning towards the sound of the voice.

_-Yuki, I have a weird buzzing sensation in the top of my skull!-_

Oh dear gods. This child is an idiot. A sweet idiot, but an idiot nonetheless.

_-It's your Call.-_

_-Really?-_

I can only put up with so much of Zafi at a time. Or anyone, for that matter.

_-YES! It means you have to go on Search!-_

_-So I'm going to go to Choose?-_

_-No, you're going out to look for fruit. What OTHER kind of call is there?-_

_-Oh! Do I get to dress up in the pretty saddle?-_

I love Zafi. Really. Well, I mostly do. But she is honestly the stupidest Companion there has ever been. Or will ever be.

_-Yes, Zafi, you get to dress up in the pretty saddle. Now GO.-_ Her Herald will probably be as scatterbrained as her. Whoever it is, they're giving me a headache already. Although it may be due in part to the heat. Cursed weather. I don't understand the reason for summer at all, I really don't.

_-Gee, thanks, Aunt Yuki!-_

_-Zafia.-_

_-What?-_

_-Remember that little talk we had about calling me Aunt Yuki? The one I had with all of you children a couple months ago? The one where I reminded you that if you call me Aunt Yuki, you end up getting kicked in the side?-_

_-Oh. THAT talk. Well, I guess I'll just go get my fancy saddle on!-_ She sidled uneasily away from me-well out of the range of my hooves, I couldn't help but notice regretfully.

Oh, I should probably introduce myself. I'm Companion Yuki, fifteen years old and unChosen, praise the gods. I get along fine with out some idiot Herald messing about in my brain, thank you very much. The younglings seem to regard me as a crotchety old auntie. They started calling me 'Aunt Yuki' a couple months back, and I had to set them straight. Forcibly. I've got a reputation among the Heralds as the grumpiest Companion probably to ever walk the Earth, and I'm sure that all of them are glad that their Companion's chose them, instead of me. For example, I saw that trainee, Zurin, looking at me funny the other day…

Well, that's enough personal history. Let's get back to the story.

Anyways. Zafia was gone, but the headache still persisted. I've always found that an excellent cure is to go dunk your head in the stream, so that is what I did.

Raising my sodden head, I shook a few tendrils of dripping mane out of my eyes, snapped at a few laughing foals, and ate some grass. Yet my headache was, if anything, worse. In fact, it was like a swarm of bees buzzing-

Oh no.

No way was I going out on Search at the same time as that idiot Zafia! No way. At all. In fact, I didn't want to go on Search at all. I just wouldn't go at all!

Which is why I promptly found myself trotting along the road out of Haven five minutes later.

Well, at least I escaped without the saddle. Way back when I still wanted to go on Search, I had sworn that I would never wear that saddle. Now, I wouldn't feel like a prettily packaged food parcel.

With this comforting thought in mind, I picked up my pace.

The Call wasn't coming from far away-just outside Haven, in fact. I would be able to get back this day!

Almost galloping now, I flew past trees and bushes. So, maybe my call was taking me a little longer than I thought…but my Chosen wasn't far at all now-I could feel it!

I blew into a small village, nearly squashing some chickens. Stupid birds. They got in between me and my Chosen. Where were they, anyways?

I trotted along, trying to not break into a gallop again, as I might kill people, and we're usually discouraged from doing that. Even if we're on Search. Unfortunately. There were probably some people I'd love to have in front of me while I was on Search…

Anyways.

The villagers were staring at me, whispering and nudging one another. I could see the hope on all of their faces; each hoping it would be them.

Sorry. Not. No, I'm not a nice Companion.

I took a sudden turn onto a street that led out onto-

A deer path.

Well, if my chosen was along this road, so be it. Why she-yes, I could tell it was a she-would want to be along this road, I have no idea. Enclosed spaces are never good. You can't bite people easily at all when you're in an enclosed space. I trotted along, feeling that I was getting closer. As I neared a bend in the road, I heard a voice growl something. It sounded like a threat.

Interesting. Unless it involved my Chosen, in which case, DIE! If it was my Chosen uttering the threat, we would get along perfectly. Threats are useful things.

I rounded the bend to find that this section had been widened. Two young men-blacksmith apprentices by the size of them-were standing over something in the road. A small, frightened thing.

My Chosen.

"So, ye think ye're pretty smart, eh?" growled one of them.

"Well, we've found the secret, young lady! Ye might've fooled the whole village wi' yer pretty face, but not us! We know the truth-that ye be-"

He got no further, as his partner had slid a knife from the sheath and poised it over the girl in the road. This had, obviously, caused me to lose complete control of myself, as all other rational, more reasonable thought was obscured by one thing.

_-PROTECT CHOSEN!-_

I flew at the man with the knife, knocking him over. Mindful of the girl in the road, I head-butted the other fellow in the chest. He scrambled away, a look of utter terror on his face. His partner was nowhere to be seen.

I slowly walked over to the girl, who was staring at me with a look of wide-eyed-something. Adoration? Fear? What?

She was small, with dark golden-brown hair. Violet eyes. Pale skin. Slightly odd looking features.

Mine.

I had always thought that the traditional thing to say while choosing was far too corny, but now I understood why we used them-they were right.

-My name is Yuki…and I Choose you. Cari Aflamina, I Choose you. You are my Chosen, and I love you. And I will never leave you.-

--

Aww…we all knew that Yuki had a soft side to her! I will continue with this story, never fear-I just need to finish up some other things to I can work on chapter two. Now, if you've read this far, please click the pretty button next to the words 'Leave a review' and leave a LITERATE review. Literate meaning, using at least mostly correct grammar, spelling, and punctuation. Or at least no chat speak. Heck, let's go with the only requirement being, no chat speak in reviews. And feel free to read my other fanfics, and leave reviews there!


	2. Finding

Well, here it is. The second chapter of A Fairly Normal Choosing. By (fairly) popular demand, as in everyone who reviewed wanted more, A Fairly Normal Choosing is being continued. I would really like reviews on this, please. Oh, and I'm working on a companion piece to this, entitled Festival Day. I already told you this, didn't I? I'm very proud of it, as it contains humor. And slightly more insane characters.

Now that you've read through this mindless babble, we shall get on with the story!

Again, _-this-_ is thoughtspeak, _this_ is normal thought.

--

Cari and I stood stock still for a moment, our souls still settling from this sudden transition. It was as though a new, missing piece of our souls had been found, and had clicked into place perfectly. I didn't attempt to mindspeak for a while, as my Chosen was in a state of shock.

Yes, and I was too, alright? I'd always been happy with the pieces of my soul that I did have, and it was unsettling to have them all disturbed!

_-Chosen?-_ was the first thing I could manage. Real original, huh? _–Are you all right?-_

Cari didn't say anything at all for a while, but simply stared at me in utter shock. Finally, her vocal cords started to work.

"You don't mean me," she said finally. "You can't mean me. You're looking for my sister, right?"

_-No, Cari, I can assure you that you are my Chosen. And we need to go back to the village to get your belongings.- _Yep, I was being nice. I was in shock, just like my Chosen.

The corner of her mouth twitched upwards, ever so faintly. "I don't live in the village."

_-Oh.-_ That hadn't occurred to me. Obviously. Brilliant, Yuki, brilliant_. –Then where DO you live? You're not a runaway, are you?-_

"No, I live down this path." This was a path? As in, people used it?

_-I thought it was a deer track.-_

"Most people think that when they first see it." Definitely a smile. There was a slightly amused tone to her voice now. We two were going to get along fabulously, as she was being slightly flippant with me.

_-I see. Now, if we want to get there, do you want to walk or ride?- _

Cari stared at me in confusion. "What d'you mean, walk or ride?"

_-Chosen, it's very simple. Either you walk-using those two soft appendages you humans call 'feet', which are attached to those odd floppy things you call 'legs'-or you ride. On my back.-_ Don't look at me like that! She has to find out what I'm like sometime!

Cari laughed. "I'll walk, if it's all the same to you. I don't know how to ride."

_-Suit yourself.-_

As we ambled along, I caught her thought that if she didn't ride me, she wouldn't care as much when I chose her sister. Obviously, I wasn't as all knowing as I thought I was. I had been under the impression that when you Chose, your Chosen leaped up on your back with a blissful expression and you galloped off into the sunset. Even if Haven was to your east. For the artistic effect, you know?

After about half a candlemark of walking, talking, and laughing, we arrived at-you guessed it-another deer track. And this one was even smaller and dirtier. With lots of thorns. Evil looking ones, too.

Cari caught me looking at it in disgust, and laughed. "Don't worry, Yuki. It's much wider once you get past the first three feet or so."

_-If you say so,-_ I said doubtfully.

"I do," she affirmed. "I live down here, after all."

We shoved through the brambles, to find that Cari was right-the track did widen out. Quite a bit, too.

_-This is nice,- _I remarked. _–Who did this?-_

"My father," she replied.

_-He's a good, intelligent man, Chosen.-_

"He was."

_-He's dead?-_

She hesitated. "Not exactly…"

I waited. Wow, I was on my best behavior today! However, Cari didn't proffer any more bits of information on this mysterious parent.

Very quickly, we were at her house. Which was more of a cottage…if you looked at it in the right light.

_-Uh…nice place, Cari,-_ I said lamely. It was all I could think of, all right?

"It's better inside." She was worried, now. I could feel it.

YES, I can sense feelings! Stop snickering! This is an important moment in the story! Now shut up!

Yeesh…some people, I tell ya…

Anyways.

"Mother?" she called. "It's me, Cari."

"Cari!" A plump, motherly looking woman bustled out of the house. She looked every bit the traditional housewife. "Goodness, child, what happened to you?" Finally, I noticed that there was a purpling bruise on one side of her face. Great observational skills, Yuki.

_-Oh. Sorry, Chosen.-_

She didn't reply, but she did say, "It's nothing, Mother. Where's Cira?"

"I'm here, Cari," a musical voice chimed from the shadows. A girl stepped out from the doorway into the light.

Her skin was a flawless, creamy ivory color, her hair a stark contrast. It was dark, thick, long, and wavy. Her eyes were an interesting deep blue-black, with flecks of different colors in them-flashes of violet, green, brighter blue, and a few sparks of silver in them. The effect was of a starry night sky. With mage-fire flashing all over the place.

The girl's beautiful hair was pulled back from her face into a bun, from which a few tendrils escaped to dangle around her face, framing it. Her clothes were regular farm clothes in brown and creamy off-white, but they somehow set off her loveliness better than the richest court clothes could.

She looked even more stunning when compared to my Cari, who was dirty from her tussle with those two unsavory characters, her hair unbound and tumbled around her face.

If I was still a human, I'd throw up from all of the sweetness and essential goodness radiating from her in waves. As it was, I was trying to not obey the little voice in my head that was telling me to give a mental scream, snatch up Cari whether she liked it or not, and run back to Haven as fast as I could. And since I'm a Companion, that would be pretty fast. At the moment, that little voice was making a lot more sense than the rest of my brain. Actually, that happens quite a lot.

_-Chosen, is that your sister?-_ I inquired, my mental tone carefully neutral.

Her face seemed to crumple ever so slightly. "Yes." She whispered, the sound barely reaching my twitching ears.

_-I feel sorry for you. You had to live with her.-_ Cari didn't respond to my teasing.

"Cari?" her mother said, concerned. "Dear, you're staring off at a tree again…"

"Oh." She snapped out of concentration. "Sorry, mother."

Her sister gave a sudden, delighted cry. "Oh! Mother, look! It's a Companion!"

The mother of the two girls yanked her attention away from my Chosen's face enough to see me behind Cari. "Eh-lady, we didn't mean to keep you standing there. I assume you're on Search?" She didn't even wait for an answer before saying to Cari, "Love, go get Candra, will you? And put something on your bruise, and lie down for a bit, and you'll be right as rain in no time!"

Cira was already calling into the house, "Candra, it's a Companion!" These people were obsessed!

A girl-who, oddly enough, was identical in face and figure to Cira, except for the fact that her hair was golden and her eyes blue-green-came hurrying out of the house to stand beside her sister, smoothing her skirt. Cari gave me one long, miserable glance and stepped aside.

I was utterly lost, here. What in the nine Hells was I supposed to do? I'd already chosen, and was supposed to be on my way to the Collegia by now! And I still had a headache.

_-Chosen?-_ My mindvoice was plaintive. _–What am I supposed to do?-_

She didn't respond, but began to walk towards the house.

_-Chosen?-_ No answer._ –Hello? Cari?-_

She was ignoring me! How dare she?

_-Cari, what in the Havens is going on! Chosen?- _

Finally, she spun around. "Yuki, will you please stop talking to me!" She shouted this angrily, and there were tears in her eyes. Worried, I crossed over to her where she stood in the doorway.

_-Why?-_

"Because!"

_-Cari…-_ My mindvoice was soft and hurt. I crossed over to her where she stood on the threshold. _–Don't-don't you want me?-_

She stared at me for a moment, with absolutely no expression on her face. Then her face crumpled, and she buried her head in my neck.

"Yes," she whispered. "Yes, I do want you, Yuki. I just-can't have you, is all."

_-What! Why not?-_ My indignation made her sobs lighten slightly, to be replaced by choked laughter.

"Because…because I'm not good enough! You deserve Cira or Candra. Not me."

_-Chosen.-_ I backed up, forcing her to let go of me so that I could see her face. _–Don't _ever_ say that again.-_

Cari froze for a moment, and then flung her arms back around my neck as her emotions came thundering down on me like a tree branch. There was love, definitely, and hope, too, but shock was playing a major role. Hmm…mental note to self-ask Cari later about her childhood.

And in case you've forgotten, this little drama had an audience of three, all of which had the exact same expression on-open mouthed, gaping surprise. They looked like they were trying to be fish! Sorry, only room for two in this play. Mmm…fish…I wonder if I can eat fish in this form…?

I glared at them, baring my teeth. The heat was making me irritable. Even more than usual, actually. Well, and the fact that they seemed to think that they were better than Cari was aiding the heat. No one was better than her!

Yes, I admit that I'm a tad biased. Now stop rolling your eyes.

Now were was I? Oh, yes, glaring and threatening.

_-Cari,-_ I said, _-Please go get your things so we can go. I really can't stand to be around your family much longer.- _She nodded, then slipped into the shadows of the cottage.

The mother stepped towards me. "Look, there must be some mistake, milady. You can't be here for Cari-you must be here for Cira, or Chandra!"

It was only the fact that Cari might not approve that kept me from biting the stupid woman's nose in two. As it was, I settled for snapping at her arm, sending her skipping back with a shriek.

What's that, you say? The Groveborn mightn't have approved either? Well, to hell with Rolan!

No, I do not have any respect for the Groveborn. Partly because I think that when I was human, the current Groveborn (the then current Groveborn) did something to make me…well, I'm not sure. I just have this immense feeling of hatred whenever I think of the Groveborn and one of my past lives-just one, but the feeling persists from then on.

Enough introspection. On with the story!

When Cari emerged, she had in tow a tiny redheaded child. I instinctively backed up.

_-Chosen?-_ I said nervously. I didn't like the look on her face. _–What is it?-_

"This, Yuki," she said firmly, "Is my younger sister."

_-Chosen, you're not _really_ making me carry a little, squirmy thing on my back, are you?-_

"Yes, Yuki, I am."

I shuddered. _-Cari, I really don't do well with children. Why do we have to bring her?-_

"Because I don't want to leave her here with my mother and my other sisters, for reasons I don't feel like expressing right now."

Cari stuffed the bundle of things into my saddlebags and swung herself up. She reached down for the small girl and lifted her up in front of her. With unspoken agreement, I trotted down the path away from her house.

Before I got too far down it, her sister-Cira, the dark-haired one-stopped in front of me. I was tempted to run her down. Squashing that little voice in my head that was screaming 'Do it, Yuki! Squish her!', I managed to stop. That voice often makes a lot more sense than the rest of my brain.

Cira forced a smile. "Congratulations, Cari."

Cari barely nodded.

Cira continued. "Well, I'm sure you'll make a great Herald. At least you'll go to Haven. Maybe you'll even see your no-good father there." With a triumphant smirk, she brushed past me towards her family.

_-Chosen?-_ I twisted my neck back as far as I could, but I couldn't see Cari's face.

"Let's go, Yuki," she said, her voice cold and emotionless. "I can't wait to get out of here." I opened my stride a bit, so eager was I to get away from that house and all of the confusing emotions tumbling around it.

--

Reviewer thanking time!

Lizai – Is this enough for 'more?'

Catwraith – Yep! That makes three of us, as I don't like heat either!

Niana Kuonji – And best of all, grumpy people are fun to write.

Edward – Thanks.

Fjedka – Yuki's a great person, er, Companion, to write!

Wow. All of those responses look really cheesy, now. I can't write better ones, but really, all of your responses were really appreciated. And to the two people whose reviews were deleted, I'm sorry, but there were some errors in the story that were bugging me, so I took the story down to fix them.

I apologize for any grammar/spelling mistakes-I'm sure there's some, but I can't find them. And for grammar, it's just my judgment as my computer has a dysfunctional grammar checker. (If I followed everything it said, every "I'm" would become "I is!")

Now, c'mon…you know you want to click the little button that lets you submit a review…No flames, please, but constructive criticism is very much appreciated.


	3. Arriving

Oh, I forgot to mention this in the last chapter-Cira means sun and Candra means moon. They're twins.

And by the way, this chapter will probably be bad because I can't edit it. My computer's twisted personality is causing it to-literally-eat my words. If I type something, then go to revise it, every character I type in the revision makes the next character disappear. I swear, Lord Orthallan is haunting my computer.

Oh, and one thing about the timeline-this is set in Rolan's next term as Groveborn. So don't be expecting to see Elspeth/Darkwind/Talia/Dirk/Selenay/…etc. etc.

Oh, and one thing-Niana Kuonji, don't worry, the cubling isn't her daughter. Wait a minute-crap. I didn't put how she's related to Cari in there, did I? panics and checks Oh, yeah, I did. Whew. Yuki asks what 'it' is, and Cari says that it's her younger sister. If it WAS her daughter, Yuki and I would have some serious maiming to do. cackles But, it isn't her daughter, so yeah. Actually, I have Cari's romantic life planned out…but it doesn't start getting interesting for about six years. Literally. But when it does, expect angst on both parts and much melodrama! (But not 'til about chapter 20. Or something around then.)

--

We rode in absolute silence all the way through the village. The villagers all stared at us, just as they had when I had come galloping in. At least this time the stupid chickens stayed out of my way.

I realized that Cari had obviously been lying about not knowing how to ride. When we had been out of the village for a while, I finally broke the deafening silence, which was both mental and spoken. Well, not spoken, exactly, as there were no words-ah, you get my meaning.

_-So, Chosen,-_ I began in a conversational tone, _-What's your sister's name?-_

"Jora."

Even in the face of this fairly uninformative answer, I persevered. _–Does it mean anything?-_

"It means autumn rain. Her father liked it, so Mother agreed."

Cari's tone is telling me that she doesn't want to talk about it, but I continue. –Her _father?-_

"My mother's third husband."

_-Oh. She's had three, so far? Did the other two die, or something?-_

"Her first one, Bahari, was Cira and Candra's father. He came from some lake or other. I never met him. My father, Daren, was her second husband. He…left…a few years ago. Jora's father, Dorian, is her current husband. Bahari died about a year before she met my father. I think Cira and Candra get their looks from him. I definitely take after my father-we have the same eyes, nose, lips-even my hair color. Cira and Candra never really liked him-they didn't get why Mother married someone who wasn't that handsome."

_-They sound even worse than I imagined.-_

This finally coaxed a smile onto her lips. "I don't know what you imagined, but they're almost definitely worse. Mother spoils them shamelessly 'cause they're pretty. I don't really mind," here she shrugged, "But it's slightly annoying to have them constantly preening, like doves, or something. Some stupid, beautiful bird. Anyways, once Father left, she got the next priest she saw to dissolve their marriage. After a year or so, she met Dorian-of whom the other two firmly approve, because he's handsome-and this one resulted." She gestured at Jora, who was drowsily blinking up at her. I hadn't noticed before, but Cari had evidently roused Jora just before bringing her outside.

With a start, I realized that I was seeing Jora through Cari's eyes. Evidently our bond was developing rapidly!

_-Cari, if you dislike your other half-sisters that much, then why are you bringing Jora?- _I asked, just to keep the conversation moving. I didn't really care who or what she brought, as long as it got her to Haven.

"Frankly? Because Jora is young, but she's beautiful. If I let her stay there, she'll turn out just like the other two, and she deserves better."

_-I see. And why didn't your mother make a fuss about you taking her?-_ I was especially curious about this question.

Cari's lip curled. "Oh, when her husband comes home she'll make up some tale about how I carried Jora off and she was powerless to stop me-maybe she'll claim I knocked her unconscious, or some rot, and Cira and Candra will nod along, agreeing with everything that's coming out of her mouth. Then Dorian will say that they should take it to the Heralds, and Mother will weep and wring her hands and convince him to not do it, and he'll listen because he loves her. Dorian's actually not a bad sort-it's just that he's completely wrapped around Mother's little finger. And Mother won't want to pursue it because she gets more attention this way-with her youngest daughter stolen away."

_-Oh. I see.-_ I do see, actually. While Cari was talking, I'd been poking around in her head, and from what I could gather of her mother, this fit her personality quite well.

Jora was more awake now, enough so to realize that she wasn't at home in her bed. She peered at her sister.

"Cawi?" she inquired, with only a hint of a lisp. My, she spoke well for only being a little! "Where are we going?"

"We're going to Haven, sweetling," her sister replied.

"Where's Mama, den? Or Papa, or Ciwa, or Canda?" she demanded with the impetuosity of a three-year-old.

"They aren't going."

"Why? Were dey bad?"

"Yes, dearheart. They were very bad, and you're not going to see them for a long time, because they were bad people who wanted to hurt you," Cari murmured. "Now go back to sleep-it's a long way to Haven."

Jora wasn't satisfied. "But Mama and Ciwa and Chana always said dat if we went to Haven, you wouldn't go. Why are you going now?"

"Because I'm going to learn to be a Herald, Jora. Go back to sleep." The child settled down again, but not without a final question.

"What's your Companion's name?"

"Her name…? She's Yuki."

Jora nodded, satisfied. "Tank you, Yuki, for bringing us to Haven and letting my sister become a Herald."

And with this, she finally went back to sleep.

_-She's not that bad, Chosen. For a little, that is.-_

Cari nodded in silent agreement. "You're right, Yuki. She's not bad at all."

--

It turns out that I'd been running a lot faster than I'd thought I'd been running on the way to get to Cari. As in, I had been going at the fastest speed a Companion can go-the one where we're Fetching ourselves as we run.

As there was no way I was going at that speed again today, we ended up making camp for the night. If you're wondering why we didn't stop at a Waystation, well…truth be told, I didn't know where it was.

We found a nice little clearing in which to make camp. It had a small brook running through it that made an annoying gurgling sound. I longed for something to bite. Preferably something that would squeak when I bit it.

There was, unfortunately, nothing to bite except the grass, as I doubt Cari would appreciate me biting either her or her sister. I attacked the grass savagely, but it didn't help my feelings.

So, is it any wonder that I was in a bad mood when we set off the next day?

Thankfully, we were only about a day away from Haven by now. Ah, for Companion's Field…to be attempting to kick the foals…to try to bite the Groveborn…to be plotting bloody murders of assorted Companions…no, I'm not evil at all, really! Really and truly!

Uh…let's just move on to Haven, shall we?

We waltzed into Haven only to be stopped by the amount of traffic in the poorer districts. Thankfully we didn't have to go through Exile's Gate.

After a candlemark or so, we finally reached the Collegium. By now, it was well past nightfall and Jora was yawning hugely. The Dean herself came out to meet us.

"Companion Yuki! We were getting worried, you were gone so long. And which one of these lovely ladies is your Chosen?" Herald Alize turned all of her famous charm on. Actually, I don't think that it ever came off. She could probably charm a murderer into confessing in her sleep.

"I am," replied Cari. "And this is my sister."

Alize smiled at her. "And your name, my dear?"

"Cari Aflamina," she replied. "And my sister is Jora Tyuru." This caused Alize to raise an eyebrow.

"Well, well…different fathers? Not that it's any of my business, of course," she continued smoothly. "Now, you three must be tired-Cari, I'll set your sister up in your room for now. I'll show you there shortly, and where the baths are, if you wish. And Companion Yuki, I know that it's late, but I'll need you to talk to Falas before sleeping, if you don't mind-I'll need to know your Chosen's gifts." I noticed that she asked me this question after moving out of range of my teeth.

_-Tell her I'll comply,-_ I told Cari. Cari relied my words to the Herald, who smiled.

"Wonderful! Now, Cari and Jora, this way, please. Yuki, Falas is waiting in Companion's Field." This last was tossed over her shoulder to me as the threesome headed into the building.

_-Wonderful,-_ I muttered to myself. I didn't mind as much as I let on, though. Falas is actually one of my-very few-friends. I headed over to Companion's Field.

_-Yuki!- _she greeted me. _–No one ever thought you'd actually Choose!-_

_-I didn't either,-_ I said-not gloomily, I might add! _–Hello to you too, Falas. I assume that your Herald wants to know what gifts Cari has?-_

_-Oh, is that her name? I want to meet her later, Yuki. You're right. Now, what does she have? I want to sleep as much as you do!-_

_-She's got a bit of Mindspeaking, and extremely strong Magegift. Maybe a little Empathy-I'm not sure. Nothing else.-_

_-Huh. That's interesting-mostly Heralds have at lease one strong Heraldic gift. Anyways, thanks for telling me-Alize's gotten it written down by now. Let's get some sleep.-_

-_Agreed.-_ As we trotted over to our favorite grove, a thought occurred to me. _–Oh, Falas?-_

_-Hmm?-_

_-Does anyone else know that I've Chosen yet?-_

_-Nope! The only people who know are the Groveborn, the Queen's Own, Alize, and me. You get the dubious honor of announcing it yourself. But do it tomorrow, please. Everyone's asleep right now, except for us.-_

_-And me.-_ Rolan seemed to float out of the trees, surrounded by that mystical glow of his. Dammit! I hate it when he does that!

_-What do you want?- _I demanded flatly.

_-Nothing,- _he replied._ –I just heard you mention that you thought that no one else was awake, and wished to correct you.-_

_-Well, now it's my turn. It wasn't me, it was Falas. Talk to her about it and leave me alone.- _I stalked over to my favorite part of the clearing to lie down in (I've been there so many times, there's a hollow) with the full intention of pretending I was asleep.

Unfortunately, this backfired as soon as I lay down, seeing that the moment I lay down I _did_ fall asleep.

--

Reviewer replying time! You all get chips!

Ban Capall – Thank you…that was…heartfelt! And I'd use the over your name, but I don't know how to do that. Sorry!

Lizai – Yep! Her sister's are Mary-Sues. I'm planning on making them die evil fiery deaths! cackles insanely because her mind imploded upon reading one too many Mary-Sue fics Oh, and I'm upset because my Sims computer game isn't working so I can't make Mary-Sues and Gary-Stus and make them die horrible, fiery death so I can add them to my graveyard collection…I mean…make them drown…Uh…Stop looking at me like that! I don't have homicidal tendencies! Really, I don't!

NazgulGirl – Whee! We both like each other's stuff! Please update WE DON'T NEED NO STINKIN' TITLE! And do it soon…please?

Mongo39y – I'm working as fast as I can. Really. shifty eyes

Niana Kounji (cont'd) – I like Yuki too. She reminds me so much of me. Her dislike of background noises…her dislike of small children…blissfully evil smile Oh, and I dislike backstabbers, too. Cari's sisters are gonna need a lot of mindhealing after this…stupid Mary-Sues…I might end up letting Yuki squish them! Not now, though. They must be much more tortured before I can allow that to happen! cackles

Not much was accomplished in this chapter, I know. Sorry bout that, but I just needed a filler chapter to get them to Haven. More will happen, I promise!

Again, please leave a lovely, nice review…or a flame. As long as I'm creating a response, I don't care which. And please don't just say that you hated it or loved it-tell me WHY. Please?


	4. Meeting

I have now decided that I am Tayledras! You may now refer to me (in addition to Neverfall) as Nightstorm k'Vala. I have two bondbirds. Here they are-Shamara, a golden eagle (she's big…and doesn't go on my arm or shoulder, ever) and Bavol, a peregrine falcon. Shamara means ready for battle and Bavol means wind/air. I love them! I now have protection! And back-up for my disclaimers.

I have no clue why I am suddenly Tayledras. It might have something to do with the fact that I'm currently reading the Winds trilogy (I'm done with book two! Go me!)

To everyone, I apologize for the change in rating, but it couldn't be avoided. Well, it could, but I don't want to rewrite this chapter, and this chapter is basically what caused the change.

And to Sasha's review on Chapter Two, Cari and Cira's names are so similar because their mother didn't have that much imagination and Cari's father like the name Cari.

Disclaimer: If I owned, then I would be Misty. If I was Misty, I wouldn't be posting on Yuki's friend's names mostly mean something. Ashlin means 'son of the pool surrounded by ash trees.' I love that name! Eh…lessee, here…Elita (mostly known as Eli ) means 'chosen one', Kalei means 'one who works for the king', and Laili (nicknamed Lai) means 'born at night.' I don't remember if Falas means anything or not…I think I made it up. And Alize means charm.

--

The next morning dawned bright and clear. Or rather, I assume it did. As I slept through it, I couldn't really say. When I did wake up, the sky was clear and the air was pleasantly cool. It was still early, at least.

Falas was still asleep, and no one else was in the grove. I started to walk through the forest, hoping that there would be no one else awake to bother me while I ate.

_-Yuki!-_ Falas interrupted. Evidently, she hadn't been too deeply asleep. _–May I join you?-_

-_All right,-_ I agreed with a mental sigh. Again, I didn't really mind her company.

When we finally broke free of the trees, it appeared that my wish for solitude was not to be granted. Several other Companions were already gathered together in a tight group near the fence. I sent a mental groan to Falas.

_-Why do other people have to be up at this hour?-_ I complained.

Falas's mental sending was tinged with laughter. _–Yuki, it's our friends. Shall we say hello?-_

_-Oh. Why not? The least we can do is grace them with our sparkling presence.-_

_-You mean my sparkling presence,-_ she countered. _–Yours is definitely less than sparkling.-_

_-Oh, is that so?-_

Bickering amiably, we headed towards the group, who turned as we approached.

_-Ashlin, Eli,-_ I greeted them. _–Kalei, Lai. Good to see you all.-_

_-Yuki, where were you yesterday?-_ demanded Lai. _–We couldn't find you at all.-_

_-Lai, obviously we couldn't find her,-_ said Ashlin. _–If we'd been able to find her, we wouldn't be asking where she was. But, Yuki, we are curious.-_ He looked at me expectantly.

I shifted my weight uncomfortably from foot to foot. _–Did you try asking the Groveborn?-_

_-Yes, we did, but he only said that he wasn't stupid enough to try to keep track of you,-_ replied Eli.

_-So, where were you? And what were you doing? None of us could reach you,- _Kalei said, finally breaking into the conversation.

I glanced at Falas, but she shook her head slightly, letting me know that she wasn't going to help me with this in the slightest. Great.

I took a deep breath-not that it was really necessary, seeing as we don't need breath to talk-and let it out slowly. And another one. And another.

_-Yuki, will you just tell us where you were already?-_ Lai snapped. She's the youngest, and hasn't felt her call yet. Neither has Ashlin or Eli. Kalei is the oldest, and she had a look in her eyes that gave me a very uneasy feeling that she had the wrong idea-literally. My feelings were confirmed when she finally spoke again.

_-Yuki, you don't have to tell us if you don't want to,-_ she began. I felt a flush of embarrassment-if I was human, I would have been blushing. Falas was having hysterics.

_-What are you talking about, Kalei?-_ Eli demanded. After a moment, in which she was presumably having a private conference with Kalei, I felt embarrassment radiating from her in waves. _–Oh. Uh, Yuki if you don't want to tell us, you _really_ don't have to._

By now I think that everyone except for Lai had the wrong idea stuck in firmly in his or her horsy heads. They were backing slowly away from me-well, except for Falas, who knew what had happened. She was going to be laughing for candlemarks, now.

_-Nononono,- _I said in a rush, _-You all have completely the wrong idea-really-it's not what you think!-_

_-Then would you please spit it out?-_ Eli cried-squeaked, rather. They all appeared to be in shock from their misguided ideas. Kalei has a dirty mind.

_-Uh…well…-_ I really didn't want to say it. I'd been talking for years about how happy I was to not have a Chosen, that they were really gonna make fun of me. _–Itwasmycall.-_

_-What? Yuki, please say it again, but slower. Much slower.-_ Ashlin, always the voice of reason.

_-Fine. It…was…my…Call. That slow enough for you?-_

From the slack-jawed looks I was getting, it was. There was complete mental silence.

_-Your…your Call?-_ squeaked Eli. At this, Falas apparently had to lie down and roll around, as her giggles were getting worse by the minute. She was having trouble breathing.

_-Yes, my Call!-_ I snapped. _–I am a Companion, after all!-_

_-Well, yes, but no one ever expected you to Choose!-_ This was from Lai, ever blunt.

I glowered. _–Well, now you all know. And I'd really like to eat breakfast alone. So goodbye.-_ With this, I marched away, leaving them all staring at me. Even Falas had stopped her giggles.

At least I was able to eat my breakfast in peace. When I was done, I decided that I'd put off talking to Cari long enough.

_-Chosen?-_ I murmured quietly. _–Where are you?-_

_-Yuki?-_

I rolled my eyes. _–No, it's some other Companion that's decided to call you Chosen. Yes, it's lovable old me, all right. So, where are you?-_

_-Umm…I'm not sure. Another Trainee, Kabili, is showing me around. Hang on, I'll ask her.-_

There was a moment of blankness before she tuned back in_. –Kabili says that we're taking the tour, so we're going to the library right now.-_

_-Can I eavesdrop? I'm bored.-_

_-Sure.-_

So instead of returning to my surroundings and withdrawing from her mind, I stayed, listening and watching as Kabili showed my Chosen where everything was in relation to her room.

Finally, they came to the end of the tour, which was Companion's Field. I trotted over to the rail and waited for them to approach.

Kabili was a tall, pale girl of about sixteen. I didn't know who her Companion was, but I saw a tall, slender mare approach them as they neared.

Cari reached the fence and immediately started looking around for me. I whickered softly and trotted over, a surprising flicker of happiness rising inside of me upon seeing her face light up. Without meaning to, I thrust my head over the rail and into her chest, nudging her impatiently.

_-Now scratch me,-_ I demanded. She obliged, a grin on her face, and my eyes closed in bliss. I sent contentment towards her.

_-Aaaahhh…-_ I didn't even realize that I'd projected the thought until I saw the other Companion glance at me in amusement.

_-There's nothing like it, is there?-_ she projected with a tinge of amusement.

_-Nope. Who are you?-_ Blunt, as ever. Lai and I contribute to each other's personalities.

-_I'm Gali. 'Li likes Cari. 'S that her full name?-_

_-Huh?-_

_-Cari. Is it short for something?-_

_-Dunno…Hang on…-_ I switched from sending only Companion-to-Companion to sending to Chosen. _–Cari?-_

"Yes?" she said aloud.

_-Is your name short for something?-_

"Nooo…why?"

_-No reason. Thanks.-_

I informed Gali of this momentous revelation. _–No.-_

At this moment, Cari happened to glance up from me and noticed something that made her frown and stop scratching me. This caught my attention, as _nothing _should be that important.

_-What?-_

"Yuki, why are a bunch of Companions headed towards us right now?"

_-Huh?-_

I turned to look, and-of course-the group of Companions consisted entirely of my friends.

Cue much annoyance.

Before I could try to convince Cari that we should really go for a ride _right now,_ they arrived. My friends surrounded me in a half-circle, effectively trapping me against the fence.

I flicked my tail in annoyance. Cari gave me a confused look.

"Yuki, who are they?"

I sighed. _–These, Chosen, are my friends. I suppose that I must introduce them. This scrap heap you see here is Elita, less formally known as Eli.-_ Cue much bobbing of horsy head from Eli. _–Next to her we have Lai, then Ashlin, Falas, and finally Kalei. I'm sure that this was all her idea.-_

"Ah." Cari examined each of my friends by turn, her gaze emotionless. "Well, pleased to meet you all. I'm Cari Aflamina, Yuki's Chosen."

_-I like her,-_ Ashlin said, unexpectedly.

_-Same here,-_ agreed Falas. Kalei nodded.

_-She seems sensible enough,-_ Eli muttered. Lai didn't say anything. After a while, the silence was annoying. As in, _really_ annoying.

_-Well?-_ I snapped at Lai. _–Aren't you going to say anything?-_

_-I agree with the others,-_ she finally muttered sullenly. That was apparently all that she was going to grace me with, as after spitting it out-well, as much as you can 'spit' anything out in mindspeech-she walked away. It was really more of a stalk, giving me the impression that she was mad.

I looked at the others. _–What's up with her?-_

It was Ashlin who supplied the answer. _–She's been getting these really weird headaches and dreams, lately. They're making her snappish at everyone, even me.-_ The 'even me' would be because Ashlin's Lai's older brother.

Kalei and Falas both stared at him in surprise.

_-That sounds like it's her call!-_ exclaimed Kalei. Falas bobbed her head in agreement.

_-I didn't get anything like that with my call,-_ I argued._ –It was just suddenly…well, there.-_

_-Most Calls grow slowly,-_ explained Falas. _–I had headaches and odd dreams for about a week and a half before going off to find Alize.-_

_-Huh. Can you two sort her out? I'm gonna talk to Cari some more.-_

_-'Kay.-_

_-Have fun, Yuki,-_ sent Ashlin quietly. _–And don't try to kill _too_ many Trainees.-_

I ignored him regally and turned back to my Chosen-just in time to see another Trainee come up to the fence on the other side of Kabili and Gali. While pondering the best method to torture him, it occurred to me that he probably didn't know who Cari's Companion was. Therefore, the best way to attack-er, I mean tease-him would be to lie in wait.

Nooo, I'm not evil at all…really…

Anyways.

"Heyla!" he called out cheerfully to Kabili. "How's Gali?"

"Fine," was the reply. "And Fleta?"

"Fine. Who's this?" It appeared that he hadn't noticed me yet. Good…all the better for my evil plots…

"I'm Cari." The sound of my Chosen's voice jolted me out of my thoughts. How annoying. Hopefully this wouldn't happen every time I heard her speak…

"Heyla, Cari. If you're new-which you obviously are-'Li here's probably told you a few of the rules. Knowing her, she probably forgot the non-official ones." By now, Cari was looking baffled and Kabili was looking annoyed. Yet amused at the same time. Bizarre.

"And these would be…?"

"Number one-don't bother Companion Yuki. Number two-do not approach Companion Yuki. Number three-if you can help it, don't even exist near Companion Yuki. And above all, do not get in her way when she's going somewhere." I hadn't realized that I ranked a set of rules with the trainees…interesting. "Who're you bonded to, anyways?"

The abrupt change in subject didn't seem to faze Cari…or at least, it didn't seem to faze her that much. In fact, she had a slight smile on her face. Her answer carried a faint tone of amusement to it.

"Companion Yuki."

This surprised the boy so much, he nearly fell off the fence. To save him the indignity of being caught half-off the rail, I decided to reveal myself. Which, of course, caused him to fall completely off the rail. Onto the Companion's Field side of the rail, in fact.

To my utter surprise, he didn't try to scramble to his feet and run away. Instead, he looked at me quite calmly. When he spoke, however, it wasn't pleas of mercy directed towards me, which was rather disappointing. Instead, he spoke to Kabili.

"'Li?"

"Yes?"

"I'm going to die, aren't I?"

"Most probably."

"Care to try and save me?"

"No, not really."

"Think Fleta could get here in time?"

"Not even Fleta is fast enough to get here in time. She's not stupid enough to get in between Yuki and Yuki's victim, either."

"Not even when it's her own Chosen?"

"Nope."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive."

Because I found this exchange most amusing, it occurred to me that it would work in my interest to keep the human alive for further entertainment. Being the (occasionally) merciful talking white horse, I backed up a step or two to let the human know that I wasn't going to kill him.

Yet.

--

Sorry for lack of updates-school started, so I've been really busy. And I discovered some new manga-Fruits Basket and Godchild! Godchild is fairly disturbing, actually…quite a lot of the characters have pretty messed-up lives. Fruits Basket is just funny, though I've just read book four and I was rather upset in the middle. I'm also reading Megatokyo (it's a webcomic) in collections. I've just finished volume one.

Enough obsessing over manga! (And webcomics.) As always, reviews are appreciated, and if you spot any mistakes, don't hesitate to point them out. (And a sincere thanks to Sunfairy for kindly pointing out my mistake over the saddle. That will be fixed shortly.) Until next time!


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